Is the color-changing paint mod on the internet anywhere? I'd like to see it. Its a shame how many get lost over time. I think thata light coat of spray paint (non-krylon) would look very natural on a G4 titanium.

(been awile since this post, but i rember when it was simi new!!! lol)I have been thinking lately about modding my Powerbook Ti, (after apple care... wish i could mod it w/ apple care) and ive been thinking a lot about useing a fine sandpaper, and making a brushed metal effect... but i have a few probs... one is id think that all of the case is fully metal, ex: the keybord is deffently plastic (discovered this from capslock mod) and i am not intirly sure that the little hinge thing at the back of the computer is plastic (the part that connects the computer and screen)... in other words I would love to do brushed metal, but without wraping the keys in foil (thinks...) I dont think it would fill out quite right... another thought I have had for Ti. mod, was possably useing a "rino truck lineing" on the outside of the case... First I think this would look neat, having a ruff and strong look, but i dont know if "Rino-Lineing" will spray things other than trucks...

Ok, I was looking over the older forums (again) and came across one of the ideas for increaseing the battery, it was one of the more joked about ideas than serious, but it was useing solar cells to charge the battery... what if you were to put solar cells on the top of the case, connect them to the battery, and put some kind of hard drying clear coat to protect the cells... that way your comp would look cool, be an offical mod, and charge your battery all in one... (current thought for taking power, is routing it through the screen power relay... i have no idea if this would work... and i am unable to try because of my applecare warenty is still on... and i dont really want to lose a year of it...)

The color changing paint can be really expensive or really cheap depending on how you go about it. If you buy the 3 part kit from Krylon or Plasti-kote you'll do pretty well for the 20-30 bucks you spend. the trick is just to take your time, and realize it'll look a little flat till you clearcoat it. Similarly, you need to spray on several coats of the shimmery stuff. I went with two light coats and then a heavier wet coat. my iBook came out amazing.

Of course, if you've stepped up from aerosols and are looking at playing with air sprayed mediums, it gets a little more complex. If you're working with enamels, then House of Kolor will have the Shimirin paints you want. but expect to need a base, a reducer, a hardener and a top coat. and then clearcoat. Its a lot of stuff to work with and it can be a pain, expecially in the cleanup department.

If you want the easy solution with options, the the Auto Air color from Createx (http://www.autoaircolors.com) are the way to go. They offer 8 different colors that shift, some with a heavy flake, and some with minimal flake. All of them are gorgeous. In order to work with these paints, you need a black or metallic base coat, the actual shimmer coat, and then any decent aerosol or non-aerosol clear coat.

The base will run you about $6, the actual color between $10-$20, and the clearcoat is probably about $5 a can. For about $30-$40, you can do an amazingly professional job. Now, the colors and the bases are usually sold in 4oz bottles, which is way more than enough to paint a computer of iBook/powerbook size. If you wanna do your G5, your display, and a small toaster, you may need more.

Also figure that you WILL need a compressor and a sprayer/airbrush in order to get down with these paints. But, they're water based and ready to spray so mixing and cleanup is easy They also have a minimal VOC content (Volatile Organic Compound) so they arent as hazardous as spraypaint or enamels.

So, there's my two cents. More like a Buck-Fifty actually, but, information IS power.

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